Absent Minded Podcast

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably already heard a thing or two about our biggest story this week regarding Gamestop. But this story is different from the times we've covered the failing retailer, instead we have a story of Reddit, memes and of course, STONKS. Also this week, Blizzard absorbs the studio behind the recent Tony Hawk's Pro Skater remake and puts them on a Diablo II remake, the EU is coming after Nintendo over Joy-con drift, AMD says PS5 and Xbox Series S/X are going to be hard to find until the second half of the year, and IO Interactive is doubling their staff size to work on their James Bond game. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

The World of Assassination trilogy draws to a close with the release of Hitman III from IO Interactive, but it goes out with a bang, bringing the entire trilogy under one roof and raising the bar of quality for cross-gen releases with its stellar PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X support. We've got a review roundup for the game but first, Ethan lays out his impressions of the newly released Resident Evil Village: Maiden demo and Travis gushes over his time with Coffee Talk and derides his time with Maneater. And as is tradition, the gang talks all about the NPD numbers for December 2020 and Switch's continued massive success, more bullshit coming out of CD Projekt Red, and what Sony's mysterious new San Diego studio might be up to. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

EA's dark reign over the Star Wars franchise is finally coming to a close, restoring freedom to the stories told in a galaxy far, far away. This week, Lucasfilm Games announced itself as the new publishing brand overseeing Lucasfilm properties and that a new open-world Star Wars game was coming from Massive Entertainment and an Indiana Jones project is in the works at Machine Games. Chris Lingenfelter (@christof_lingen) guest hosts this week for the first time and adds a little flavor to our standard proceedings and things get a little spicy as we continue to cover CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 apology tour, the Trump administrations China import tariffs from 2018 finally catching up to the PC component market, and some speculation on what some new trademarks from Square-Enix might mean for Final Fantasy VII Remake's sequel. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

The end of season one of Absent Minded Watches is upon us as we tackle the final obstacle in our way, Angry Birds 2, a perfectly average way to finish out a perfectly excellent show. The birds are back, the pigs are back, and we struggle to come up with any idea of how a second one of these was made, or how they'll inevitably make a third one someday. But first, we've gotta talk about Deadpool officially being announced as joining the MCU with it's third film, Drew's favorite streaming service finding new life as Quibi's properties are bought by Roku, Green Arrow & The Canaries has been cancelled at The CW before it even left the nest, and Sex and the City is coming back... again? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam continues this week as we decide our #1 game of 2019 before talking about Sony ending production of most models of PlayStation 4 in Japan, the new projects in development at genDesign, Arkane Studios and Respawn Entertainment, and the leaked build of the cancelled Tomb Raider Anniversary game for PSP. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

In this special episode of Absent Minded Podcast the crew drafts video games for their fantasy publishers on FantasyCritic.Games. It's like fantasy football but for super nerds like us! May the best publisher win! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam continues this week as we decide our #1 game of 2018 before talking about our most anticipated games coming in 2021 and with Squadron 42 missing its beta window, Travis thinks this whole Star Citizen thing might be a ponzi scheme. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

We've gotten through our last truly dreadful film this week with Dead Trigger, a paint-by-numbers zombie flick with every trope in the book. But who cares about that, it's after Christmas which means we get to talk about Wonder Woman 1984 and Pixar's Soul, which are much better movies. Also this week we talk about Tom Cruise ripping into crew members on the set of Mission Impossible 7 for breaking COVID-19 protocols, Netflix's announcement of a live action Yu Yu Hakusho series, and MGM offering itself for sale to the tune of $5 billion. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam continues this week as we decide our #1 game of 2017 before wishing a fond farewell to the creator of Microsoft's DirectX, trying to figure out how Among Us managed to become the most played video game of all time, the continuing cluster fuck that is Cyberpunk 2077 and 343 Industries sunsetting the Halo series on Xbox 360. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam continues this week as we decide our #1 game of 2016 before diving into the absolute mess that Cyberpunk 2077's launch (and unlaunch?) has been and the evolving review situation, PlayStation 5 becoming the biggest console launch of all time according to this month's NPD, and some very excited game release date announcements. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

This is a very different episode of our show than what you'll usually hear, but one that Andrew wanted to share with our audience and one that we all felt was important. Andrew took a big step last month in his quest for self-improvement in mind and body by checking himself into New Hope Ranch rehabilitation facility for alcohol abuse, something he has struggled with for some time. He thought it was important to discuss his treatment, both as a way to decompress after those 30 days but also to provide context and experience to those that may also be suffering and in need of support. If you or a loved one are seeking substance abuse treatment, please contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or find treatment options online at www.findtreatment.gov. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Andrew makes his triumphant return this week, which of course means the return of Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam! This week we decide our #1 game of 2015 before discussing the very interesting discourse surrounding the reviews and release of Cyberpunk 2077 along with Drew and Travis' very early impressions on PC and Xbox Series X. Does the game live up to the hype or has it buckled under the weight of its own sky high ambition? And of course, The Game Awards 2020 celebrated the best and brightest in the industry this week, and we cover all of the key reveals from that weird ass Ark 2 trailer with Vin Diesel to the next Mass Effect game. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

As we roll into December and the dust begins to settle from another Black Friday, which we guess really wasn't so bad this year thanks to everyone's favorite deadly virus, the news cycle continues to slow while we move from Thanksgiving into Christmas. Which just means we have more time to talk about what we've been playing! Travis has much to say about Bugsnax and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, two single player titles that were easy enough to knock out from the already fast building "next gen" backlog. We're only three weeks in and he's already behind! Ethan reflects on the usefulness of PlayStation 5's Activities feature during his continuing adventures in Demon's Souls and we run down the reviews for Immortals Fenyx Rising and Twin Mirror before we dive into what little news there is this week. Xbox Series X|S turns out to be an emulation power house, leaked internal documents from Sony show that single player gaming is thriving and was a huge consideration when developing the biggest PlayStation 5 features, Genshin Impact continues to make crazy money on mobile, and Nintendo continues to dominate in software sales even while the PS5 surpasses it in hardware during its launch month. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

As we barrel towards the finish line of season one, I guess that's what we're calling it, Travis and Ethan invite Tara back to discuss Tomb Raider, the 2018 reboot starring Alicia Vikander, and it does not go over well. It's an episode of reminiscence as we talk about the early days of Adult Swim and the G4 Holiday Reunion Special before Tara explains her... unique method of binge watching television, and Ethan admits to the world that he has an irrational hatred of Conan O'Brien.As we barrel towards the finish line of season one, I guess that's what we're calling it, Travis and Ethan invite Tara back to discuss Tomb Raider, the 2018 reboot starring Alicia Vikander, and it does not go over well. It's an episode of reminiscence as we talk about the early days of Adult Swim and the G4 Holiday Reunion Special before Tara explains her... unique method of binge watching television, and Ethan admits to the world that he has an irrational hatred of Conan O'Brien. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

This week Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, a national holiday that we really can't believe hasn't been cancelled by Twitter yet, but its time will surely come. Ethan and Travis do what must be done, which is talk all about how they celebrated America's favorite day of eating before diving into what's really important in people's lives: video games. The dynamic duo review Spider-Man: Miles Morales on PlayStation 5 and Travis is forced to put Watch Dogs: Legion on hold while Ubisoft works to add a save feature... wait, that can't be right, can it? There's no save feature? Square-Enix officially offers a permanent work-from-home program for employees in Japan, Rockstar announces a standalone version of Red Dead Online, and CD Projekt swears to whatever deity they believe in that Cyberpunk 2077 is really releasing in December. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded's PlayStation 5 coverage continues as we end week one with Sony's latest system and our impressions strengthen, between the system's user interface and stability and our time with its biggest launch exclusives, including the one and only Demon's Souls. The reviews are in for Bluepoint's latest remake and it appears they've knocked it out the park yet again in a truly special way. Hitman developer IO Interactive revealed their next project this week, Capcom's upcoming releases through 2024 are leaked to the public including some surprise titles, Assassin's Creed Valhalla breaks franchise records on its launch week and we talk about the nominees for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2020. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

The day has finally arrived in which we tackle the final chapter of the incredibly lackluster saga of Resident Evil, and such a monumentally boring undertaking has required us to call in the ultimate schlock hype girl, the one and only Tara Conneally (@tallcanary), as our very first guest host. Are we all going to die down here? Let's hope not. But before that, Travis and Tara talk about digging into Apple TV+ content, we speculate on what's happening with Fantastic Beasts now that Johnny Depp has exited the third film, and discussing the moral question of whether there's anyone more deserving of 40,000 COVID-19 tests than the people forcing another Jurassic World film upon us. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

The next generation of video game consoles has officially begun this week with the launch of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Travis and Ethan have the freshest of impressions on Sony and Microsoft's latest hardware. We also run down the reviews of the biggest launch titles of the week before talking about the Mass Effect remaster's official announcement, Square-Enix's big financial loss with Marvel's Avengers, and Phil Spencer's time playing Elden Ring, proving that it's a real game that exists somewhere. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Absent Minded’s Super Official Highly Respected Industry Leading Only List That Truly Matters Game of the Decade Super Slam continues this week as we decide our #1 game of 2014 before discussing reviews of Xbox Series X|S, a new jailbreak for Oculus Quest 2 circumventing Facebook account requirements, major network hacks at Crytek, Ubisoft and Capcom, the crazy money Activision Blizzard is making from microtransactions, PSVR headset limitations on PS5 for Hitman 3 and No Man's Sky, and more. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support

Nothing is true and everything is permitted in Assassin's Creed, a solid action flick with a stellar cast of actors that actually tried their darnedest to make a good movie. And they pretty much did, and kept authentic to boot. We say goodbye to legendary actor Sean Connery this week before discussing the latest trailer for the final Evangelion film, Netflix taking a break from Mindhunter, the return of Jon Stewart, and NBC Universal's CEO promising Peacock won't end up like Quibi. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/absentminded/support